From Google Glass to Project Loon to Adwords and Docs, our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects. Interns also work across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to look out for the different interns being featured on the blog throughout the summer.

We’re starting this series by getting to know Christopher Hocutt, a Bachelors student from Howard University working as a software engineering intern on the Social Team in Mountain View, CA.

Chris is originally from Richmond, Virginia, and enjoys ultimate frisbee. So far at Google, he’s enjoyed the food - especially burritos from Masa - and working collaboratively with his supportive and tight-knit team.

Why did you want to work at Google?
Google is renowned for having the happiest employees and standing by their “don’t be evil” stance. They want to make information accessible and make a change in the world and I want to be a part of that change.

What are you working on at Google?
Currently: Google+
In the future: everything (sorta)

What’s the best part about your team?
My team isn’t too big or too small which allows me to know each of them. They go on frequent coffee and food runs to alleviate the “work tension” and were all extremely welcoming when I joined the team.

What’s the best part about working with your manager?
He’s made it known that anytime I need help, I can go to him. He sits nearby which allows me to beckon and receive help as often as I need it which makes me a more productive worker.

What’s your favorite part about working at Google?
There is free food. Everywhere. All the time. I love to eat and there is always good variety for me to work with.

What’s the thing you’ve accomplished during your internship that you’re most proud of?
I created a meme on an internal thread that got over 230 +1’s after a week! Made me feel pretty successful :-)

What’s your favorite Google moment so far?
My favorite moments have been with the group of friends I made during the first week.
These moments include ping-pong, frisbee, discussing new Glass ideas, etc.

What does “being Googley” mean to you?
Being Googley is: being an innovator, speaking out, being positive, trying to make a difference.

Best meal at Google so far?
I went to Masa and had a burrito with a wheat tortilla and it brought joy to my heart and stomach!

What is one one fact about you?
I’ll always try to be as helpful as my body allows me to be when it comes to donating time/energy to help a cause.

Anything else?
If you’re looking for monotony, Google is not the place for you.

Want to learn more about internships at Google? Check out our Student Careers Site. Additionally, follow Google Students on Google+ and use the hashtag #googleinterns to keep up with Intern Insights this summer.

As part of Google's ongoing commitment to advancing computing and technology, we are pleased to provide scholarships to encourage students to excel in their studies and become active role models and leaders. In partnership with EmployAbility, we are excited to announce this year’s recipients of The Google Students with Disabilities Scholarship.

Please join us in congratulating the following recipients, along with the universities they attend:

Tomer Ashur, KU Leuven, Belgium

Zafeirios Fountas, Imperial College London, UK

Cristian Hanca, West University of Timisoara, Romania

Tim in 't Veld, University of Utrecht, Netherlands

Reuben Kirkham, Newcastle University, UK

Thomas Ladyman, University of Southampton, UK

Mark Pavlyukovskyy, University of Oxford, UK

Mikhail Sbitnev, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany

Nathan Schagen, Vrije Universiteit, Netherlands

Azra Tayyebi ,University of Eastern Finland, Finland

Each scholar will receive 7,000 Euros to help them with their studies for the 2014/2015 academic year. All scholars have been selected based on their passion for computer science, academic achievement, leadership, and technical accomplishments.

After several months and countless hours of hard work on the part of our participants, we’re finally ready to announce the 8 finalists for the AdMob Student App Challenge. But first, we wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to each and every student developer who took part in the competition. With over 300 app submissions, we were overwhelmed by the talent, ingenuity and level of participation from student developers all over the world. We hope that the challenge allowed you to push your skills and business acumen to the limit, and that it will inspire you to continue making creative, useful and innovative apps.

Keep in mind, finalists are made up of the top two entries in each of our four challenge regions (North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Asia/Pacific and Latin America). From this list, the judges will go on to select 1 winner from each region (3 in total) and 1 overall Grand Prize Winner.

As applications open for Google AdCamp EMEA 2014, guest blogger and future Google Intern Megan Killion blogs about her experience at last year’s Google AdCamp!

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a healthy obsession with technology. Growing up, Christmas and birthdays were always cause for new gadgets, recently launched games, and remote controlled gizmos. Twenty one years later, not much has changed: I’m still desperately waiting on new devices to be launched, updates to be downloaded and beta versions to be released. I’m also a self-confessed marketing junkie, so I’ll let you take a moment to imagine my face when I opened that acceptance email to Google AdCamp EMEA last July.

Yet never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the opportunities and friendships which would come out of Google AdCamp for me. The AdCamp student programme is four days of pure awesomeness, with the perfect balance between work and play. One thing was guaranteed: no matter the activity, there was always someone new to meet something new to learn. Our days were filled with training and collaboration sessions, our nights with networking and exploring.

I was blown away by every training session. In true Google fashion, everything revolved around the future. We focused on how marketing is evolving for a more mobile and social world, and how Google is helping companies do exactly that. Every session and every Googler (Google employee) left me inspired. I actually came away even more fascinated by the innovation going on inside Google than I was before AdCamp.

On our final day we competed in a team-based advertising competition. This involved developing a creative marketing strategy for an upcoming film release, then presenting our final solution to a panel of sales executives. I’m a big believer in hands-on learning, so being able to showcase everything we had been taught over the week was brilliant! Even better, the exec’s loved my team’s presentation.

If we weren’t learning or presenting, we were busy exploring (or in my case, taking advantage of Google’s impressive snacking options). Every evening our program leaders had an epic activity lined up. My absolute favorite was the treasure hunt which was organized for us on our second night: we got to experience Ireland’s amazing capital city, Dublin, in a hunt that spanned the entire city! Other activities included the best Asian dinner you can imagine, a spot of karaoke and a pizza night (just for good measure!).

As killer as all of this is, the activities are by no means the highlight of the week. There are a lot of things which make AdCamp an unforgettable experience, but the best part of being at AdCamp is the people you’ll meet there. Being surrounded by people who are just as excited and passionate about technology and marketing as you are is truly refreshing. I built real friendships, with AdCampers and seasoned Googlers alike.

I left AdCamp inspired and determined. Four days at Google simply wasn’t enough! My determination has paid off: just a few months later I was accepted into Google’s summer internship programme! Now, as my start date draws nearer, excited doesn’t even begin to explain how I’m feeling. I am so pumped to dive headfirst into my new role, meet more talented people and immerse myself in Google’s culture once again!

Google’s University Programmes Team are now accepting applications for the 2014 AdCamp in EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa)! Up to 45 current students will be selected from across Europe, Middle-East and Africa to participate in the 3-day programme at either Google Dublin or Google Wroclaw from the 17th September - 19th of September 2014. The programme is designed for students graduating in either 2015 or 2016, currently pursuing a Bachelor's or a Master's degree and who have an explicit interest in sales and advertising disciplines.In order to apply, you must be a current student in Europe, Middle East or Africa and are set to graduate in 2015 or 2016. Please find the application here. The application deadline is the 31st of May 2014. All decisions will be communicated to applicants by the end of July 2014. Posted by Paul Dunne, University Programs Team

The Generation Google Scholarship was established in 2012 to encourage aspiring computer scientists to excel in technology and become active role models and leaders in the field. Every year, high school seniors from underrepresented groups in technology who have demonstrated a passion for computer science, technical aptitude, academic achievements, and leadership amongst their peers are selected as recipients of this scholarship. This year, we have expanded the brand of our Generation Google scholarship to include undergraduate and graduate students!

2013 Scholars' Retreat

We are excited announce the 2014 Generation Google Scholars, along with the universities they attend:

Abril Vela, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor*

Alexandria Vail, North Carolina State University

Alisha Saxena, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*

Ama Koranteng, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*

Anushree Dugar, Wellesley College*

Asaeli Matelau, University of Utah

Aswini Krishnan, Univeristy of California, San Diego*

Christine Yang, University of Texas at Austin*

Cindy Yu, Stanford University*

Danielle Okezie, Havard College*

Delia Bullock, Columbia University in New York City*

Eliana Lorch, Minerva Schools at KGI*

Frank Ibem, Texas Tech University

Heitor Castro, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Jeanine Pearson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*

Joe Fletcher, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Jordan Kunzika, Dartmouth College

Joshua Thomas, Dartmouth College

Karia Dibert, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*

Katherine Muhlrad, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*

Liezl Puzon, Stanford University*

Liqi Xu, University Of Wisconsin - Madison

Marcelo Rioja, University of California, Los Angeles

Maria Pospelova, Carleton University

Marvin Andujar, Clemson University

Marynel Vazquez, Carnegie Mellon University

Matthew Tesfalul, Harvard University*

Megha Srivastava, Stanford University*

Michelle Collins, Georgia Institute of Technology

Shailee Samar, Harvey Mudd College*

Simone Smarr, Spelman College

TianYi Ma, Queen’s University*

Vaughan Nickerson, Georgia Institute of Technology

Veronica Gunn, University of Texas at Austin*

William Lopez-Cordero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*

Yekaterina Kharitonova, University of Arizona

*University they will attend in Fall 2014

2013 Computer Science Summer Institute

All scholars will receive a $10,000 (USD) or $5,000 (CAD) award. Current university students will attend the Google Scholars’ Retreat in Mountain View, where they will have an opportunity to attend tech talks, network with other scholars and Googlers, participate in developmental activities and sessions, and attend social activities. Scholars will also participate in a hackathon to create projects related to STEM education and collaborate on ways to actively promote computer science to other underrepresented students in technology.

Current high school seniors will be attending Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute this summer, in Mountain View, CA, Cambridge, MA, or in our newest location in Seattle, WA.

Congratulations to this year’s Generation Google scholars, and stay tuned for announcements of our other scholarship recipients in the coming weeks! If you're interested in learning more about our scholarship programs and timelines, please visit our Google Scholarships page.

As part of Google's ongoing commitment to increase the number of women in engineering, we are excited to offer travel grants to the 2014 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference taking place in Phoenix, Arizona from October 8 - 10, 2014. The theme for this year's conference is "Everywhere. Everyone." and will offer incredible opportunities for mentoring, networking, and career development.

Female university students and industry professionals excelling in Computer Science can apply for a travel grant to attend the 2014 Grace Hopper conference.

Sponsorship includes:

Conference registration

Round trip flight to Phoenix, AZ (from within the US or Canada)

Reimbursement for ground transportation to and from the airport and the hotel

Arranged hotel accommodations from October 7-11

A fun event with your travel scholar recipients on one of the evenings of the conference!

Please apply here by Tuesday, July 15, 2014. The Grace Hopper Travel Sponsorship winners will be announced the week of August 4, 2014.

As part of Google's ongoing commitment to advancing computing and technology, we are pleased to provide scholarships to encourage students to excel in their studies and become active role models and leaders. We are excited to announce this year’s scholarship recipients from the Google Lime Scholarship (in partnership with Lime Connect) and Google SVA Scholarship (in partnership with Student Veterans of America). All scholars have been selected based on their passion for computer science, academic achievement, leadership, and technical accomplishments.

Photo by Robert Fischer, Google Engineer

Below are the list of recipients, along with the universities they attend:

Google Lime Scholarship

Aneesh Pasricha, Amherst College

Eva Schlinger, Carnegie Mellon University

Morgan Ulinski, Columbia University in the City of New York

Trevor Haskell, Fordham University

Dianna Hu, Harvard University

Julien Gascon-Samson, McGill University

Charles Hill, Oregon State University

Kody Dillman, University Of Calgary

Ivan Brugere, University of Illinois at Chicago

Hamid Hamraz, University of Kentucky

William Grussenmeyer, University of Nevada, Reno

Charlie Magnuson, University Of Victoria

Imran Khan, University of Virginia

Google SVA Scholarship

Katheryn Farris, Dartmouth College

William Perry, Norwich University

Peter Zimmerman, Princeton University

David Patrzeba, Rutgers University

Sherry Shi, Stony Brook University

Andrew Gray, University of Florida

Joseph Raetano, University of Tennessee

Gabriel de la Cruz, Washington State University

All scholars will receive a $10,000 (USD) or $5,000 (CAD) award and will attend the Google Scholars’ Retreat at the Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA. Scholars will have an opportunity to attend tech talks, network with other scholars and Googlers, participate in developmental activities and sessions, and attend social activities. Scholars will also participate in a hackathon to create projects related to STEM education and collaborate on ways to actively promote computer science to other underrepresented students in technology.

Congratulations to this year’s Lime and SVA scholars, and stay tuned for announcements of our other scholarship recipients in the coming weeks! If you're interested in learning more about our scholarship programs, please visit our Google Scholarships page.

Mobile app growth is exploding, driven by the proliferation of mobile devices. In 2013, annual global revenue for apps reached $27BN, and in 2017 it’s forecast to reach $75BN*. As app developers look to build sustainable app businesses, AdMob has created the App Developer Business Kit - a free online guide - to help turn a passion for app development into a reality.

How to start building an app
The first chapter highlights the key principles that everyone should consider when building an app. We look at ways to get funding, tech tips for building apps, and how to earn revenue.

Building a user base
It’s important to have a robust app marketing strategy and to promote it effectively. In this section, we cover ways to attract more users and reach new markets through localization.

Knowing the user
We conducted a survey of five major app markets - US, UK, China, Japan, South Korea. Each market has five categories for which we’ve pulled significant statistics from the study and provided recommendations on how to best use these statistics.

Growing an app business
We address key questions that developers ask: How should I expand my app business? How do I keep innovating?